Billions of spores on explosive growth spurt threaten homes

September 14, 2005

After the storm, the mold

12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 14, 2005

/DN-katmold_14tex.ART.State.Edition2.1397cee9.html

From Wire Reports

Denton,TX

Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters have saturated walls, shoes, sofas,

floors and roofs. Now, the next plague is coming: mold.

Fueled by moisture and temperature, billions of dormant mold spores

are growing furiously – putting at risk homes and businesses across

the Gulf Coast.

" These are the most successful organisms on the Earth, " with

an " amazing ability to survive, " said Rinaldi, professor of

pathology and medicine at the University of Texas Health Science

Center at San .

Mold is a type of fungus that can weaken buildings, make people

sick, and streak walls and baseboards with black and green

discolorations that can be nearly impossible to clean.

" Many of those houses are useless. They are going to have to be

rebuilt, " Dr. Rinaldi said.

Although debate continues over how dangerous household molds may be,

people with allergies, asthma or weakened immune systems can suffer

severe respiratory problems when they breathe in spores. Some fungal

organisms feed on wood for their growth, leaving a gooey,

structurally unsound beam behind.

When a mold's environment goes dry, its spores enter a kind of

hibernation, able to sometimes exist for decades in an inactive

state. These microscopic dry spores are lightweight, and wind blows

them everywhere. In dry conditions, they're mostly invisible but can

still upset people with allergies.

With enough moisture, mold spores can germinate in just hours and

begin eating wood, sheetrock, wallpaper glues and other organic

material that are in the home. Within days, a few spores can produce

millions more.

By the time mold is visible – which can take from a day to several

weeks after germination – it often has taken root in walls and may

be impossible to get out.

" The mold keeps going up and up, " said Bharti Patel, who returned to

her Metairie, La., house a week ago. " We're surrounded. "

Recommended Posts